France’s Ugo Humbert had plenty to celebrate on his 28th birthday Friday, turning in a dominant semifinal performance to advance to the final of the Lexus Eastbourne Open in England. The sixth-seeded Humbert dispatched British player Jack Draper 7-5, 6-3, firing five aces and successfully defending all four break points he faced during the match.
After the victory, the crowd treated Humbert to a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to mark the occasion. He will now pursue his eighth career singles title when he squares off against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in Sunday’s championship match.
Bergs earned his spot in the final by outlasting Great Britain’s Toby Samuel in a three-set battle, winning 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. The Belgian had a commanding 11-4 advantage in aces and managed to save 6 of 10 break points throughout the contest. A victory in the final would give Bergs his first career ATP singles title.
Draper, who had strung together three consecutive wins earlier in the week to the delight of the home crowd, was playing in his first tournament since April following a right knee injury. Despite the semifinal exit, his run at Eastbourne marked a positive return to competition.
At the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships in Mallorca, Spain, second-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain rallied from a first-set loss to defeat Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, propelled by seven aces. After dropping the opener, Davidovich Fokina surged to a 5-1 lead in the second set to even things up, then overcame a 4-3 deficit in the third set by taking the final three games of the match.
Davidovich Fokina will also be chasing his first career singles title when he meets American Ethan Quinn in the final. Quinn, 22, cruised into the championship match with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Quinn won 81.5 percent of his first-serve points — 22 of 27 — and converted 4 of 6 break point opportunities. Borges struggled on his second serve, winning just 22.2 percent of those points, going 4 for 18.
